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Somerset, Ohio
Inside Somerset's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 59% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 11 cities in Perry County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
That water-table share is above Perry County's 42%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43783 overlapping the city. Of its 644 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1952.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Perry County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Somerset
Basement waterproofing in Somerset: a shallow water table limits basements on 59% of Somerset's mapped land.
In Perry County, 19% of the 31 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 500 of Somerset's 644 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Somerset city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 58.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 68.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.7% |
| Mapped soil | 744 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 59% of Somerset's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 69% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Perry County
0% of Perry County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Somerset. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43783 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Somerset
| Housing units | 644 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $225,000 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenford | 6 mi | 0% | 58% |
| Junction City | 6 mi | 3% | 61% |
| Rushville | 7 mi | 1% | 14% |
| New Lexington | 8 mi | 4% | 38% |
| West Rushville | 8 mi | 0% | 97% |
| Thornville | 9 mi | 0% | 87% |
| Fultonham | 9 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Bremen | 10 mi | 3% | 41% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status